Megacopter: Blades of the Goddess review

Megacopter shifts the Strike series away from its militaristic leanings, with a talking helicopter that performs heart-grabbing human sacrifices. This is B-movie pulp done right.

Long before Electronic Arts began churning out a succession of generic blockbusters, they published some ground-breaking hits. One particularly well-received franchise was the Strike series, which began with 1992’s Desert Strike and concluded with 1997’s Nuclear Strike. Each of the five entries tasked players with piloting a heavily armed helicopter that prowled a battlefield teeming with enemy installations.

While the franchise is often remembered as a shooter, there was a muted feeling of simulation that accompanied your firefights. Not only did players have to worry about ammo counts, but their armoring and fuel provided additional apprehensions. Although you could replenish resources by grabbing with your winch, you’d have to remember resupply locations, since the game’s maps lack detail. For the next quarter of a century, few games reproduced the thrill and challenges found in the Strike series.

The Joys of Circle Strafing

Undoubtedly, developer Pizza Bear Games appreciates the lapsed license. The studio’s inaugural release, Megacopter: Blades of the Goddess rekindles the virtues of the early Strike titles, while making a number of clever modernizations. So, while you still stalk a scrolling map rendered in an isometric perspective, optional twin analog stick control makes evading enemy projectiles much easier.  And you’ll need those new evasive capabilities, as foes frequently put out barrages of bullets and lock-on missiles that will attempt to flank you.

Like the old days, your chain gun will likely prove your indispensable offense, since you have unlimited ammo (however, there is a pause to reload). Similar to the Strike games, your main priority is defensive piloting. You’ll fire at a cursor with an adjustable range, with the game’s CPU-controlled gunner able to fine-tune your aim. With a bit of practice, you’ll soon be circle-strafing some of the game’s bullet-spongey targets with deadly precision.

Cleverly, you’re not just flying a standard Apache helicopter, but a sentient machine named the AZ-TECH that feeds on the bloodshed. Yes, Blades of the Goddess frequently embraces campiness. While you might think the interactions with your vehicle recall the squeaky-clean man and machine alliances of Knight Rider or Iron Man, Megacopter is closer to Audrey’s bloodlust from Little Shop of Horrors. Yes, there’s something wonderfully sinister about military equipment aching for carnage. But largely, the developer keeps things from growing too dark with humor found in some satirical in-game branding.

Defending Hideous Monuments

Yes, there are the obligatory hunts for key targets, and you’ll also play defensive missions. One of the first is centered around protecting an obnoxiously large Pizza Bear statue and waves of enemy lizard men trying to destroy it.  Essentially, this plays like a tower defense game as processions of opponents march toward the monument, and you’re provided with defensive units that you can pick up and place on the battlefield. But expect a bit of frustration as Blades of the Goddess doesn’t highlight enemy routes or suggest moving the turrets to more strategic locations.

And that type of vexation also materialized when I fought the first boss. Expectedly, the showdown became a maelstrom of munitions and tracking all the hazards was a bit difficult. And predicting patterns of a sweeping laser when facing a gigantic mutant turtle-brain was surprisingly tough, especially when you’re being pursued by drones and having your health sapped by resilient battlements. Undoubtedly, some of the difficulty is intentional, but elements like the cursor blending in with a weak point and a shortage of enemy attack telegraphing made it tougher than it should be. I nearly threw in the towel after the tenth attempt.

Getting to the Heart of the Matter

But it’s evident that Pizza Bear Games is listening to player feedback and responding. When I started playing on release day, having your AZ-TECH shot down brought the game to an unceremonious end. But now, the developer offers two optional modifiers after every disheartening loss. And that’s not the only perk. Between performing human sacrifices on temples scattered across each map and picking up the still-beating hearts of defeated lizardmen, you’re able to upgrade the mythical abilities of the AZ-TECH. Of course, if you want to augment your exterior, ammunition, and swap your rockets for armor-piercing energy weapons, Blades of the Goddess gives flexibility between missions.

Yes, that means some mission grinding is encouraged as you grab pizza tokens to buy upgrades. But replaying stages isn’t an insufferable chore. Smartly, there’s a bit of autonomy in how you approach most missions. Hacking domed fortifications reveals enemy positions, and enemies aren’t fixed. Occasionally, your actions might escalate a hostility rating, or you’ll have to take down a barrack that persistently generates reptilian grunts.

Conclusion

Peer past a few coarse edges, and Megacopter: Blades of the Goddess is a thoroughly involving action title that lets you mow down legions of pugnacious lizard men. At present, the game works best when replicating the fundamentals of the Strike games. Skulking a busy battlefield and figuring out the best way to eliminate a cluster of garrisoned foes proves just as engaging thirty years on.

Megacopter: Blades of the Goddess was played on
PC with review code provided by the publisher.